Fruitful Fall Fundraisers
As promised, here is another idea* for a fundraiser - one that is designed to raise money efficiently, attract new donors, engages both fundraisers and donors, increases your visibility. This is a good fundraiser for youth soccer teams, but can be used by groups of all kinds.Soccer Club Fundraiser:
You’ll need to round up a few club parents and kids to go to a Sounder’s play-off game a couple of hours early.
Picture it - all those Sounders fans, waiting in line, nothing to do. Here comes your child’s soccer club, with a collection of bad holiday sweaters in tow. “Excuse me,” a little kicker says to a fan. “Our soccer club is raising money to hire a coach. My mom here will take a picture of your family in these ridiculous sweaters [teammates hold up samples] for $15. For $20, we’ll take the picture in front of this fake fire backdrop [teammates unroll a corrugated cardboard fireplace].These make great holiday cards, you know.”
If:
· there’s a waiting line for two hours,
· a team of one photographer and three kids completes a sale every five minutes, and
· there are three home play-off games.
Then: Three teams working the line over three days will net over $3000.**
Of course, you will want to encourage the folks in line to sign up (you have packed a sign-up sheet, clip board, and pens, haven't you?) to receive your exciting newsletters, news of upcoming fundraisers, and more.***
If the Sounders don’t make the play-offs, hold this fundraiser in front of grocery stores, at parent-teacher nights, and at your kid’s soccer games - anywhere there’s a captive audience.
* Full disclosure: I have not tested this idea. But I like it because: 1) lots of potential customers are waiting for you to engage them, 2) it's a fun event that should appeal to fundraisers and donors alike, 3) it's a good photo op for local press, and so could be a great way to increase your group's visibility, and 4) it should be a lot less time-consuming than things like garage sales or dinner-and-auction events.
**1 sale/5-minutes x 24 units of 5 min./2-hours x 1 2-hour waiting line/day x 3 days x $15.00/sale X 3 teams team
*** Collecting contact info of potential donors and volunteers will probably be accomplished more successfully by nonprofit groups with a broader mission than that of the local school soccer club.
